Magnetic recording tape has been used for many years for storage and retrieval of analog and digital information. Information is stored on such a tape by magnetizing regions of the tape using a write or recording head so as to encode 0's and 1's where the magnetized regions change polarity. Such information can also be retrieved from the tape by way of a read or playback head.
However, drawing the tape from a first reel, passing it over a write or read head (or combination of the two) and gathering it on second reel can result in static electric charge on the surface of the tape. The molecules of chemical constituents of the tape can also be broken into smaller charged snippets by contact of the tape with the sharp air-skiving edge of a recording head which can then erode metals in the recording head, or combine with electrons from an electron source to plate material onto the surface of the head. The net result is an increase in the spacing between head and tape which degrades the ability of the head to write and read to and from the tape. The present teachings address these and related concerns.